Best of

the Twin Cities

Best Bartender

Trish Gavin

Rare is the package deal that includes supreme lack of pretense yet encyclopedic knowledge. No mustache-twister this one (hell, she’s genetically preempted from growing one long enough to twist), Trish Gavin has nevertheless seen the back bar of many a serious establishment, from Chefzilla Stewart Woodman’s Heidi’s to the brief but brilliant Il Foro. Now she’s whipping up magic at the Hewing Hotel, one of the most service-oriented establishments in Minneapolis. With a few flicks of the wrist and lashes of the tongue she doles out drinks and dry humor in the time it takes you to slip out of your peacoat and clamber onto a stool. She’s got an honest pedigree, starting when she was 16 and working at her uncle’s bar, so this lady practically has Benedictine flowing through her veins. At the very least, she’ll have it flowing through yours in no time flat, with style, grace, and the skill it takes to be a true barkeep.